Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure Review

Who says you can never have enough storage. Well you really can not have too much. I myself have a few different computers around my house for different tasks, and I like to back them up and also share files over the network. External hard drives and enclosures are a great tool for keeping around your house or even on the go. There are so many different enclosures and NAS boxes on the market. Some do RAID, other’s do JBOD, some can hold only 1 drive and some can go up to 4 drives. Some of the cool things with the technology of the past few years is that we now have eSATA and USB 3.0. USB 3.0 offers up to 5 Gbps while eSATA offers less speed at around 3 Gbps. So today we will be reviewing the Vantec NexStar HX2R dual SATA Hard Drive Enclosure, so stick around and see if it would make a nice addition to your desk or office.

Special thanks to Vantec for sending over the NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure to review.

Features:
– Aluminum Casing Cools Down Your Hard Drive
– Vents To Intake Cool Air
– Maximum Transfer Rates Up to 5 Gbps w/USB 3.0
– Maximum Transfer Rates Up to 3Gbps w/eSATA
– Active Large 80mm Fan To Exhaust Heat
– Easily Add Storage to Any System with USB 2.0, 3.0 or eSATA
– Backwards-Compatible with USB 2.0 or 1.1
– Hot-Swappable: Plug & Play Without Rebooting
– Attractive LED Indicates Power & HDD Activity
– Supports Individual, JBOD, RAID 0/1 Modes

Packaging
Vantec chose to use a very nice detailed box with tons of information. On the front of the box it lists of almost everything about the NexStar HX2R Enclosure. Some of the important things listed on the front of the box is that the enclosure can have dual SATA hard drives up to 4TB each for a total of 8TB, has a active cooling system with a 80 mm fan with speed control and a aluminum body casing. On the side of the box there is some more of the same detailed information with an image to point out where certain parts of the NexStar HX2R are.

Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure

On the back of the box there is listing of the features of the NexStar H2XR. The NexStar H2XR feature list is also in 6 different languages. It also has a list of contents of items inside the box. The last side of the box has some picture diagrams to go over the key features of the NexStar HX2R. Starting with the smart air circulation design, the large 80mm exhaust fan, aluminum body with light indicator, Up to 8TB of storage and multiple mode support from JBOD & RAID 0/1.

Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure

Upon opening the box you will have the software cd on top with a manual. The NexStar HX2R is in a protective foam with the cables and power cable on the one side of the box. After taking everything out of the box you will have the NexStar HX2R, power adapter, USB 3 and eSATA cable, software cd and install guide.

Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure

Now we just have the NexStar HX2R all alone.

Vantec NexStar HX2R Hard Drive Enclosure

For a full video unboxing and overview of the NexStar HX2R be sure to check out the video below.